After 13 years and 191k miles I want to turn my owned-since-new ‘07 335i into a track car. People laugh at me. It’ll break they say. Buy an E46 M3 they say. This video motivates me further.
The N54 can put in some serious work and the E9x chassis is excellent. At 191k miles it's going to take some money to get the car there. Regardless, people can hate on the N54 as much as they want. We're still here 13 years later running with some of the best of the best 2020 performance cars. Sure, there are a lot of modern performance cars I've yet to drive. But there's really no reason because the e9x 335i is still that good. I bought my '07 335i in 2014 for $15k. I've got about $7k in maintenance/preventative maintenance/repairs, $6k in suspension mods, and $2k in bolt-ons. Puts me around $30k all in for a car that's been daily driven and beat to hell for 6.5 years. It's comfortable to daily drive, yet will run with the top 10-20% on the track and in the straights. Is it the best car at any one thing in particular? No. It's not the best DD, it's not the best track car, it's not the fastest, most comfortable, most fuel efficient, best looking, etc. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a car with a better balance. There's a reason Car & Driver, Road & Track, etc referred to the 335i as possibly the best car for the money during its time (and they don't even factor in aftermarket potential). There's a reason people still try to talk shit about the N54. There's a reason the N54 is still relevant. There's a reason people still dump boatloads of money into 13 year old cars. With a little maintenance and the right mods these cars are cheap. Really one of the best chassis/engine combinations in the automotive world. Both respond so well to modifications. They eat up whatever you throw at them and seemingly beg for more. The engine is smooth and powerful. The chassis is booming with feedback that inspires confidence and taunts you to push things further. Anyways, I could go on and on. Send it...these cars are still THAT good.
@@captainsidewinder Great cars. I almost gave up on the N54 335i knowing I had a lot of maintenance and work to get the car where I wanted. Test drove some F80 M3's. Beautiful cars. Extremely fun. Made my decision that much harder. Stuck with the 335i and I've never looked back. Would do it 100x over. Absolutely insane car when setup right. I stand by my initial comment that the E9x and N54 both respond so well to mods. By far one of the most capable all around cars ever made. Unfortunately, a plethora of flaws around the engine give the N54 a bad rep. I'll take basic external problems over internal issues any day. I can't communicate with words how much torture I've subjected my N54 to. It handles the beating and sometimes I feel like it's taunting me to throw even more at it. Am I crazy? Probably. Then again, why trade my E90 335i when it happily does literally anything I throw at it? No reason. One day the motor may meet its demise and guess what? I'll drop a built motor in there. These cars are really that good.
@@PR0bro the gas pedal sits about 3 inches behind the brake and is mounted from the floor while the brake is mounted from the top it’s almost impossible unless you’re wearing high heels lol
thinking of turning my 335is into a track car and I'm thinking of doing a manual swap. For much faster shifting a DCT can offer I'm not sure if it can withstand the heat and abuse of a track before going into limp mode
@@xXspark365Xx Yea them SMG’s are lowkey pretty cool. For it not being the desirable transmission for a e46, I enjoy it a lot the short moments I got to drive it, not on track ofc
Hey mate, love the video! Can you explain why you went single over twins? Just curious as I'm looking at getting a 335i for this exact purpose but I was thinking keep the twins
@@MattyB727 Do you know what kind of straight pipe? Some people straight pipe the stock dual exhaust or run a 3.5" single straight pipe that either splits to a Y to look oem or just stick with the single exit as well.
My advice is the m3. N54 can produce more power but to get the same suspension as an M is about 15k in mods (not including labor), there’s no LSD and the control arms are sheet metal. Devils in the details on these things. Plus if you’re buying used, prepare for a good $3000 in maintenance parts as you’re gonna burn through the factory fuel pumps, water pump, spark plugs, and injectors when you start pushing the power.
@@Bryce2P I'm not quite sure where you got those numbers from. While I agree it doesn't matter how much you do to an N54 135/335i it will never be an M3. However, the E9x M3 control arms are a direct fitment on the E9x 335i. Just pop them on and you're good to go - no other mods required. Get solid subframe bushings and trans/motor mounts. You can upgrade plenty of other components and it's not terribly expensive. Then all you need is a respectable set of coilovers. I spent about $6k all in on my E90 335i suspension set up. TC Kline coilovers, M3 control arms, M3 subframe bushings, replaced just about every other suspension component. No it's not an M3, but I promise it will walk circles around a stock M3 on the track. In terms of burning through components I don't fully agree with that either. I did a lot of preventative maintenance on my 335i, but the HPFP issues were mostly resolved 7-8 years ago. You'll need an upgraded LPFP anyways to support 500whp on E85 blends. Anyways, I'm straying away from my point. No the N54 is not the most reliable engine...a lot of the parts around the engine need replacement. However, the reliability of these components remain relatively unchanged even when you're running 500whp. Even then, power isn't everything on the track. This single turbo build is awesome, but a track car N54 would be better suited to stock TD-03 frame upgraded turbos. They will make much better top-end power than the stock twins but retain OEM-like spool to quickly power out of corners. A 500whp N54 on RB Twos with M3 arms, quality coilovers, and a LSD will do some serious work.
@@Bryce2P E9X 335i are extremely easy to work on and they smoke any M car if modded properly. I have upgraded all the suspension parts in my cheap E92 335i, and it handles now better than any M car. The cost was no where near 15k, I would say about 5k all together from control arms, sway bars, strut bars, LSD, solid bushings to coilovers, but you need to learn how to work on them on your own. I love these cars and always recommend them to the real enthusiasts
@Tj Semeniuk Literally exactly what I say to everyone, could not have said it better. Both are fantastic cars, one is not better then the other, just serve different purposes. Thats why its best to have both lmao.
N54 is a masterpiece of BMW.
After 13 years and 191k miles I want to turn my owned-since-new ‘07 335i into a track car. People laugh at me. It’ll break they say. Buy an E46 M3 they say. This video motivates me further.
The N54 can put in some serious work and the E9x chassis is excellent. At 191k miles it's going to take some money to get the car there. Regardless, people can hate on the N54 as much as they want. We're still here 13 years later running with some of the best of the best 2020 performance cars.
Sure, there are a lot of modern performance cars I've yet to drive. But there's really no reason because the e9x 335i is still that good. I bought my '07 335i in 2014 for $15k. I've got about $7k in maintenance/preventative maintenance/repairs, $6k in suspension mods, and $2k in bolt-ons. Puts me around $30k all in for a car that's been daily driven and beat to hell for 6.5 years. It's comfortable to daily drive, yet will run with the top 10-20% on the track and in the straights.
Is it the best car at any one thing in particular? No. It's not the best DD, it's not the best track car, it's not the fastest, most comfortable, most fuel efficient, best looking, etc. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a car with a better balance. There's a reason Car & Driver, Road & Track, etc referred to the 335i as possibly the best car for the money during its time (and they don't even factor in aftermarket potential). There's a reason people still try to talk shit about the N54. There's a reason the N54 is still relevant. There's a reason people still dump boatloads of money into 13 year old cars.
With a little maintenance and the right mods these cars are cheap. Really one of the best chassis/engine combinations in the automotive world. Both respond so well to modifications. They eat up whatever you throw at them and seemingly beg for more. The engine is smooth and powerful. The chassis is booming with feedback that inspires confidence and taunts you to push things further. Anyways, I could go on and on. Send it...these cars are still THAT good.
I own a 335i and I’m thinking to do the exact same
@@captainsidewinder Great cars. I almost gave up on the N54 335i knowing I had a lot of maintenance and work to get the car where I wanted.
Test drove some F80 M3's. Beautiful cars. Extremely fun. Made my decision that much harder.
Stuck with the 335i and I've never looked back. Would do it 100x over. Absolutely insane car when setup right. I stand by my initial comment that the E9x and N54 both respond so well to mods. By far one of the most capable all around cars ever made.
Unfortunately, a plethora of flaws around the engine give the N54 a bad rep. I'll take basic external problems over internal issues any day. I can't communicate with words how much torture I've subjected my N54 to. It handles the beating and sometimes I feel like it's taunting me to throw even more at it.
Am I crazy? Probably. Then again, why trade my E90 335i when it happily does literally anything I throw at it? No reason. One day the motor may meet its demise and guess what? I'll drop a built motor in there. These cars are really that good.
Go for a single turbo kit and be done. Much simpler setup than 2 turbos. Running low boost will still be very strong performing
Good luck with your build! I'm planning on getting an E90 335i and going the same route
Real sound for inline-6 .... He has to improve his heel-and-toe dowshifting. He uses every hp of his engine !!Nice vid and nice drive ;) :)
Can you even heel toe in a car like this since the pedals are kinda wonky for a bmw lol
BMW_Irvin E92 m3 and E92 335i “wonky” floor mount pedals, still some of the easiest cars to heal toe lol
@@PR0bro the gas pedal sits about 3 inches behind the brake and is mounted from the floor while the brake is mounted from the top it’s almost impossible unless you’re wearing high heels lol
This is now my favourite video on TH-cam. Thank you for this. 😍
Impressed with using real manual gear box over sequential
Es el papá de los nuevos m2 m3 y m4
Great video i like
Nice shot and sound at 3:30. Great video
This thing screams😳
Isa beast of a sound
Love the build!
Smooth work
Matthew Ortega ap
Spettacolare video e spettacolare macchina!! MCM! Minchia Che Macchina!
What a beast 👍
thinking of turning my 335is into a track car and I'm thinking of doing a manual swap. For much faster shifting a DCT can offer I'm not sure if it can withstand the heat and abuse of a track before going into limp mode
surprisingly auto can hold up. my friend got an smg e46 m3 and drifting it the trans took a long time to actually heat up
@@giraffe8554because the SMG is actually a manual, it will react exactly like a manual in the same conditions
@@xXspark365Xx Yea them SMG’s are lowkey pretty cool. For it not being the desirable transmission for a e46, I enjoy it a lot the short moments I got to drive it, not on track ofc
Which turbo?
That door looks it gonna pop out
The reason why the m3/m4 is twin turbo 6😁
dope ass save @ 5:30
I would've spun 100%
Please for the love of God someone tell me where I can find these fenders?????
Yes please tell us
J Verduin yeah in kalJqjjqn
Any luck finding them?
I wanna put that exhaust on mine it sounds amazing
Nice
Hey mate, love the video! Can you explain why you went single over twins? Just curious as I'm looking at getting a 335i for this exact purpose but I was thinking keep the twins
Ask the owner @simogtfour on Instagram for more info ✌🏻
How do they get those fender flares.?
I want my E92 the exact same way.
Che manico Simo
where can I see more of this car in specific?
You should ask the owner @simogtfour on Instagram
MattyB727 - Car Videos ooo thank you
what exhaust setup he running?
Just Straight Pipe ^^
Are you running a baffled oil pan?
You should ask the owner @simogtfour on Instagram.
Hi, I was just curious as to what clutch/flywheel your running?
Ask the owner @simogtfour on Instagram.
Is this an m3 chassis with n54 swap or a 3er chassis with flares over the fender??
335i with flares
I wonder what quarter mile numbers hes dropping
Hi what turbo?
I wonnit :p
What rims are these?
Enkei NT03
Where’s the radiator?
it’s a love hate thing
Im sure this car has way more than 500whp
Wonder what exhaust that was shit sounded clean asf
It's straight piped
@@MattyB727 Do you know what kind of straight pipe? Some people straight pipe the stock dual exhaust or run a 3.5" single straight pipe that either splits to a Y to look oem or just stick with the single exit as well.
Il suono....
I'm torn between building this or an m3
I'm leaning more towards the 335i myself. Perhaps cheaper to maintain and track long term over an M3. I'm debating between the E90 or E92 though
My advice is the m3. N54 can produce more power but to get the same suspension as an M is about 15k in mods (not including labor), there’s no LSD and the control arms are sheet metal. Devils in the details on these things. Plus if you’re buying used, prepare for a good $3000 in maintenance parts as you’re gonna burn through the factory fuel pumps, water pump, spark plugs, and injectors when you start pushing the power.
@@Bryce2P I'm not quite sure where you got those numbers from. While I agree it doesn't matter how much you do to an N54 135/335i it will never be an M3. However, the E9x M3 control arms are a direct fitment on the E9x 335i. Just pop them on and you're good to go - no other mods required. Get solid subframe bushings and trans/motor mounts. You can upgrade plenty of other components and it's not terribly expensive. Then all you need is a respectable set of coilovers.
I spent about $6k all in on my E90 335i suspension set up. TC Kline coilovers, M3 control arms, M3 subframe bushings, replaced just about every other suspension component. No it's not an M3, but I promise it will walk circles around a stock M3 on the track.
In terms of burning through components I don't fully agree with that either. I did a lot of preventative maintenance on my 335i, but the HPFP issues were mostly resolved 7-8 years ago. You'll need an upgraded LPFP anyways to support 500whp on E85 blends. Anyways, I'm straying away from my point. No the N54 is not the most reliable engine...a lot of the parts around the engine need replacement. However, the reliability of these components remain relatively unchanged even when you're running 500whp.
Even then, power isn't everything on the track. This single turbo build is awesome, but a track car N54 would be better suited to stock TD-03 frame upgraded turbos. They will make much better top-end power than the stock twins but retain OEM-like spool to quickly power out of corners. A 500whp N54 on RB Twos with M3 arms, quality coilovers, and a LSD will do some serious work.
@@Bryce2P E9X 335i are extremely easy to work on and they smoke any M car if modded properly. I have upgraded all the suspension parts in my cheap E92 335i, and it handles now better than any M car. The cost was no where near 15k, I would say about 5k all together from control arms, sway bars, strut bars, LSD, solid bushings to coilovers, but you need to learn how to work on them on your own. I love these cars and always recommend them to the real enthusiasts
@Tj Semeniuk Literally exactly what I say to everyone, could not have said it better. Both are fantastic cars, one is not better then the other, just serve different purposes. Thats why its best to have both lmao.
What is the exhaust setup for this car?
@@MattyB727 that or a also a resonator as it doesnt sound too drony but that could just be the mic not picking it up
Check out vrsf race exhaust, And street. Budget Bimmers has a video where he links a resonator for the kit.
Tyler Padgett yeah this sounds very similar to budget bimmers exhaust
Single 3 in exhaust and 4 in resonator from magnaflow I believe